Log inSign up

Falta firmar el contrato.

Falta firmar el contrato.
All that's left is to sign the contract.
From Lesson 507:It's enough, the thing is (basta con que, lo que pasa es que)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Falta firmar el contrato.

Why does falta mean "all that's left is" here, rather than "is missing"?
While faltar literally means "to be missing" or "to lack," when it is used with an action (an infinitive like firmar), it translates naturally to an action that remains to be done. The literal idea is that signing the contract is the only thing missing to finish the current process.
What is the subject of the verb falta in this sentence?
The entire phrase firmar el contrato acts as the subject. It translates literally as "Signing the contract is lacking." Because the subject is a single infinitive phrase, the main verb takes the third-person singular form (falta).
Could I say Falta por firmar el contrato instead?
Yes, adding the preposition por before the infinitive is very common in Spain and means exactly the same thing. Both falta firmar and falta por firmar are natural ways to express that the signing is a pending action.
Why isn't there an indirect object pronoun like me or nos before falta?
Leaving out the pronoun makes it a general, impersonal statement: "All that is left in general is to sign." If you wanted to specify who still needs to do it, you would add a pronoun, such as Nos falta firmar el contrato meaning "We still need to sign the contract."

Learn Falta firmar el contrato and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →